Anatoly Pisarenko stands tall and looming as the most iconic weightlifter of the 20th century. Sure his impressive moustache is eye catching, but it was the nonchalance with which he set world records and stumbled into becoming the greatest weightlifter in the world that made his name stand the test of time...
PISARENKO SQUAT POSTER SOLD OUT
00:00 Who is Pisarenko?
01:56 Early training years
03:39 Pisarenko vs Alexeev
05:06 Pisarenko's International climb
07:46 1984 Olympics?
08:09 The greatest training cycle ever
09:55 Pisarenko's best performance
14:02 Drug scandal
15:00 Thoughts on PEDs
15:26 The end of an illustrious career
Pisarenko smoking a cig and drinking not tea but vodka between lifts is still the most badass moment in weightlifting.
INDEED 😂👌🏿!!!
Agreed NiggaBro!👏
Это не сигарета, а кусочек сахара. Он пил чай вприкуску, есть такой способ чаепития в России. И не надо тут молоть всякую чушь. Писаренко вел здоровый образ жизни, никаких сигарет, а тем более водки.
Dave Rigert smoked up a storm also.
@@PinnaclePete They believed the nicotine enhanced their nervous system to enable them to lift more.
Pisarenko is still alive - Get an exclusive interview with him if you can find him! And hurry, he ain't getting younger. Would be so cool to see that!
Cap
@@raindoset5408 clown
@@raindoset5408 Cap what
@@thatpickingguy j
J
I loved him for his honesty. At the world championships (84?) he was asked about steroids, and essentially said "You can have new world records every 18 months, or you can have no steroids. There is no way we can train like this and not use them". The stuff he said about Alexiev, about the Basque lifters, the fact that he never wanted to by a Weightlifter, but being a bodybuilder was not allowed at that time, all interesting stuff.
what did he say about basque lifters?
Where can I find this info
It always makes me laugh how some modern strength athletes say things like "oh steroids only improve you 30% max" 😂 try more like 75% +. Even the old athletes will admit to this, especially if the drugs settled well in the body.
@@AndyML3883 Don’t worry,if we’re honest with ourselves,it’s just them trying to downplay how much they depend on steroids. This applies to ALL types of athletes as well as fitness models,bodybuilders,etc. They know deep down how dependant they are on steroids.
@@AndyML3883 no offense but you are off your head if you believe it. If you think that steroids will turn my natural 120 snatch into 200+ snatch, you are fuсking nuts. Steroids mostly used to avoid frequent injuries and give you the edge to push your limit.
Bruh ain’t no way he was 22 during these clips. Dude looks like he came straight out of a gears of war game and has 20 years of combat experience
You're right about the "gear" part
Looked like Mike Hagar from Final Fight, or a Ukrainian Don Frye
Always thought he looked like a big Burt Reynolds’s the actor.
In Soviet Russia, combat experiences you.
@@retardno002😂😂😂
If Freddie Mercury was on gear...
😂
Bruh 😅
His twin but Anatoly is straight like his barbell ....... i want to break free...
well this wins
Freddie was a Giant of Music... the Goat in voice.....ANATOLY was GIANT IN SPORT
have you ever seen Pisarenko and Don Fry in the same room? Me neither
Karelin had Pisarenko's poster on his wall.
This is hands down the best weightlifting video I ever saw in my life.
In some interview he was telling that his potential was 300 in c&j and he had that as an ultimate goal. Amazing athlete
Curious, would we see Lasha hit 300 c&j if doping testing is cancelled at all?
That is probably more than just talk, he most probably did test the waters, with that kind of weight. After all, Pisarenko trained together with Zakharevitch, and the latter had done a 300kg jerk from rack.
@@vladimirepifanov6927 The snatch seems to be Lasha's specialty. The jerk appears to be his "weakest". PEDs are powerful, but seeing the ease with which Pisarenko lifted 265kg, I think he would be the one to lift the 300kg.
@@HIMCULES Yeah maybe. The last kilos are the slowest to come and there is an enormous difference between the world record and 300kg still.
The moustache, the squat in boxers, the singlet with the nips out. Weightlifting had some style back then.
Sad that after all the time, effort and life into being *the* top sportsman, he only stood a small chance to represent his country (then USSR) at the Olympics, which is obviously quite a big deal compared to the many world championships he won - even more sad when he himself realised that at the end by saying it wasn’t worth it, that must have been hard for him to admit.
True, I' ve admired him because he always wants to win the competition, even if he failed previous attempt , all or nothing.
The Man. To old dudes like me, I started lifting at the height of Pisarenko's fame, 1983, he was simply the best.
Via steroids
@@worldview730 Nooooooooo! Really? You mean he wasn't natty? Everyone was on steroids in the 80s and he was still head and shoulders above everyone else.
Still he admitted it's a cheat game, because weight lifters couldn't accend those heights without that boost @@TomLaios
@@worldview730 what is your point? Everyone was on steroids, it was no secret.His mum knew, my mum knew,, his tobacconist knew.I hate how people think that saying he was on steroids should in any way diminish his accomplishments. If you think the top lifters today aren't on PEDs, you are very naive.
The point is sports enhancement drugs are illegal & a cheat in any sport esp. the Olympics (remember Ben Johnson from Canada? His medal was taken away) It's not public knowledge that makes it right. @@TomLaios
When I got started in weightlifting I spent a lot of time reading the material that came out of the USSR from the 60s-90s and was always most impressed with people like Pisarenko. Him, Zakharevich, Vardanyan, Dimas, and of course the pocket Hercules were to me great because they were incredible athletes who were able to move so much weight without weighing a ton. Pisarenko could still do the splits whereas Lasha (who I also think is amazing) probably isn't even close. In almost any sport I think Pisarenko and the others like him would excel, kind of the original spirit of the Olympics. As much as I love seeing Lasha lift I am more impressed with guys like Pisarenko who could lift near as much yet still play a game of football(soccer) afterwards or hit up the slopes in some alpine skiing. One day we may get a genetic freak like Pisarenko who is naturally closer to 140-150kg who sets us new records. Like a Usain Bolt or Giannis Antetokounmpo of their sports.
I hope what you said will come true. It would also be great if teams like Russia and DPRK would were back full-time and on lots of drugs like in old times so we can see big records again.
I would be surprised if Lasha can't hit splits. Also, keep in minds that while today's guys like Lasha are ofc on PEDs, it is nowhere near the amounts that guys like Pisarenko used. Testing has come a long way since 1984. Also, while Lasha is a giant with heart problems, it's not like 124kg is "light" for a man, and I doubt very much that this guy could sustain any form of cardio for more than a few minutes, especially considering the "wetness" of this era's steroids.
How would "wet" steroids affect his ability to sustain cardio?
@@wyyc tough doing cardio when you got a shitload of water retention going on. Try running a dbol or high dose test cycle or something like that and go for a run, you'll understand
Don't forget to credit man's little helpers (Steroids)
Hard to wrap my mind around a 260 jerk double , 270 clean & jerk , 280 clean @ 123. To be a fly on the wall for that training cycle….
Take a steroid pill & rethink it
not that simple or easy@@worldview730
The best and most honest weighlifter ever
Pisarenko is my all time favorite weightlifter
No wonder Don Frye is such a badass, his dad is incredible!
Dad? Don Frye=Anatoliy Pisarenko
@@salguodrolyat2594 He was singing too, in the band Queen, best song we are the champions, didn't you know?
@@davisdia9315 🤔😯😁
In one interview, Pisarenko said his weak points were his legs, which eventually made him quit his career. He got an injury to the hit joints a little bit late when he lifted in snatch 210 and in clean and jerk 270 in a training. Before a competition, he had the flu but decided to participate in it. It was, I guess, in 1987 when he came back to sports after being banned for 2 years. He wanted to prove that he was the best and, not being fully recovered from disease, decided to lift big weights. He was disappointed that the Soviet authorities didn't support him, and they showed by his example that the USSR was against anabolic steroids. But Pisarenko said it was the Soviet system: doctors and trainers who made Soviet athletes use them. And the Canadian customs detected not only Pisarenko and Kurlovish with cases filled with drugs for sale, who were Ukrainian and Belarusian, but also Aleksandr Gunyashev, who was Russian and not banned by the Soviet regime. Pisarenko said that his strongest point was his back; he didn't know his limits in the exercises for his back and tried to change the technique just to use it to the maximum on his strongest side. Forgot to mention that in that interview, Anatoliy said he was a guy who showed his best results not in the trainings but in the competitions, and that's why he thought that 500 kg in both movements were real and achievable for him. When he retired, he was about 28 years old, which is a baby age for a heavyweight lifter, and he still thinks that he didn't show his full potential.
I saw him break a world snatch record in the old Playboy casino in Atlantic City. His physique was extremely impressive. This was in 1981. \
This guy was the absolute beast. I would have liked to see him now, and not it the 80s!
Never clicked into the store as quick when I saw that poster 😍
Probably the best documentary about weightlifting I have ever seen.
Pisarenko is from Kyiv, Ukraine. He has his own tea brand. At one point controlled about 10% of tea market in Ukraine.
I finished same high school # 139 as Anatoliy Pisarenko in Kiev 🇨🇦🇺🇦just 10 years later
Good review. You just said a story that Pisarenko told some Ukrainian journalist in 2010. It was true that Alekseev in a pushy manner told Pisarenko how to train, even though Pisarenko was a world champion in that time. Pisarenko said he tried a couple of times that old school training but understood that it wasn't fit for him. Alekseev weighted 170 and Anatoliy 120.
Anatoliy told that he had warned Alexeev and promised to answer physically .and VA never pushed him rudely anymore.
Very well done. Thank you for putting this together.
Beautifully made video, Seb. Keep up the outstanding work!
I’ve been waiting for this one Seb! It’s been pretty hard to find good information about this legend
He was a badass lifter i think the best ever at 270lbs clean and jerk over 580lbs in the early 1980s amazing and just missed 616lbs unreal hats off to him
Say hello to my little friend (Steroid)
@@worldview730 He was one of the best ever at his bodyweight in the early 1980s he waxes the superheavyweights in todays world they are all on the nectar Pisarenko is number one period still to this day
@@artkazyak3242 Totally agree. The strength to weight ratio is just insane from Pisarenko.
yes sir these gents who think the big men of today compare to Pisarenko are full of shit his lifts speak for themselves he was amazing@@Lotus1001
Thanks for compiling this! Growing up a fan of bodybuilding who loved strength rebates sports more as I got older (until degenerative disc disease caught up with me), Pisarenko had always fascinated me. I had heard whispers of much of what was covered in your video previously, but you summarized and organized it nicely. Well done, mate!
I found your video beautifully, adequately and knowledgeably done. Spott on, man...
Pretty sure his moustache alone could lift more than me!
Thank you for this incredible video!
Only found your channel a couple of days ago, great content 👌
Dudes in the 70s looked 46 at 22.
dude this was well made. You took time to repeat weights in pounds and kilos and made the timeline easy to understand. I always wondered who that guy was.
Your best video so far!!! Thank you
Tremendous video, I always like to hear about the old timers, never miss a chance to do so
He also cleaned 267.5,missed the jerk, that same day he made the 265.
Would love to know his cycle
@@scottessery100 his cycle would do u no good u need his genetics.
@@scottessery100 more dbol pills that you can count every day,thats about it.
@@scottessery100 300 dbol tabs a day, cigarettes, tea
Amazing story! Thank you for sharing it!
This video is so epic. Goosebumps man
Very interesting - I knew the photography from forums but wasn't aware of the background story. Thx!
That....was an excellent video....absolutely amazing!!!
An excellent video. WH Team, keep going. Keep working. The people appreciate your work. Thank you.
He reminds me of an incredibly strong and jacked Freddie Mercury at 11:10. Great video, Seb. Thank you.
Never clicked so fast.
same here
16:48 casually smoking a tea and drinking a cigarette 💪😎🚬
Amazing story telling for this piece of incredible history.
Don Frye of Weightlifting
Какая фигура. Какие раньше красивые были у них костюмы. Красота гигантского тела
You stop that right now!!!!!!
Love the video seb. Could you possibly do a video on Lu Yong? Of all the Chinese gold medalists almost nobody talks about him or his story.
Sa sa sa! Youuuuuu! I used to love watching him lift.
Excellent work! I've always wondered about the man behind that photo, as I've seen it so many times over the years.
Red Alert - Death march in the background bumpin.
Great mini doc. That Red Alert track was gold.
Cleaning and pressing 585 I think is more impressive to me than the benchpress,squat or deadlift world records .
By far!!!
PISARENKO SQUAT POSTER IS NOW SOLD OUT
Stop saying kIEv while it's kYIv 😑
Adding "Hell March" from C&C Red Alert was a nice subtle touch there.
Great work again and I haven’t even started the video
Your storytelling skill is so good.
Great video. Thanks 😊
A true legend and best ever.
Fantastic, thanks. Pisarenko is the GOAT, period. With all the crap tossed at him over the years, I'm surprised he didn't defect.
Red alert music blasting in the back while Pisarenko steps up to lift.. awesome :D
Great Video. That guy was a beast
Can you make a video on the coaches or scientists like Medvedyev or Prilipen? The story of the Bulgarian system would be awesome too.
Loved the video … thank you WH
😍 Awesome video Seb
That thumbnail pic of Pisarenko looks so much like Vytautas Lalas rockin' a sick mustache!
UNBELIEVABLE ❤🦾👍🏻
great video Seb
Love the use of the red alert theme in this
I am so proud to wait left with Dissanayaka in one gym when I was a teenager. It was late 80s in the Keith weightlifting gym and this man pooped like a tank. Great lifter of all the time.
Were you checking out his poops? Did you ask him if you could. You're a weird one, guy.
i remember just getting in to weightlifting in 1984 looking forward to seeing pisarenko at the olympics then the russians pulled out shame he wud of been a awsome sight
incredible to lift so much weighing 123kg. How many kilos is he lifting in that iconic squat photo?
I would say 230kg, but honestly, hard to tell. Its balck and white, meaning we can't be sure of the color coding, and back then some people used 50kg plates as well, not just 25kg plates. So. Who knows. A lot, that's for sure
@@Setrany He certainly didn't struggle to get up with his cleans.
IIRC he wasnt known as a huge squatter. He was known more for having amazing timing to rebound out of the bottom etc
greatest jerker of all time and its not even close.
Thank you
**Pisarenko cleaned 280 kilos in training, did not stand up on purpose, knowing if he could clean it in training, he should be able to jerk it in competition. He aim was always 500 kilo total. Source: kzhead.info/sun/qNt8ebKKp4elaoU/bejne.html
What is he saying about 420kg? Is that the weight in the picture?
@@HIMCULES He said his pull was stronger than his legs. He could pull 420 kg for reps if he wanted to. It came easily.
@@rageintruths Do you mean like a deadlift? Awesome. Any other significant numbers?
@@HIMCULES yes deadlift. He said 420kilos for reps. I’d have to watch it again. Don’t remember.
Wild that him and Naim competed at the same time
It was SR Slovenia part of SFR Yugoslavia at that time (on the poster)
Lets go!
Amazing Physyc! No belly, just a pure Giant
If Don Frye was trained in Russia
David Regart of old Soviet got mt attention, wasn't super heavyweight but dominated the heavyweight division for decades
I remember what a sensation he made! But I never knew that much about him. Thanks for the video!
Never heard of him and I'm a lifter haha wow.
You should consider making a video about Ronny Weller too as he has an interesting story as well. His international career stretches over 17 years and he is one of four weightlifters who has competed in five Olympic Games; Imre Földi, Ingo Steinhöfel and Dika Toua being the others. But he is the only one of them who has four medals though: one gold, two silver and one bronze. At the age of 17 he totalled 400kg and his 205kg snatch in the 110kg category at the Junior World Championships in 1989 is the second heaviest snatch ever performed by a junior. Only a kilo behind Saeid Alihosseinis 206kg snatch in the +105kg category in 2008. In 1989 he was in a severe car crash that killed his girlfriend at time. Ronny was in a coma for a week, and many believed his career was over. However, he worked his way back and won the 110kg category at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. Sounds kinda familiar, right? Ronny later moved up in the supers and his battles with top athletes such as: Andrei Chemerkin, Stefan Botev and Hossein Rezazadeh are legendary. His personal records of 210-260-467,5 are among the highest results ever achieved in the sport.
Great story!
Very intertaining
Богатырь, одним словом 😌💪🏻 Говорит, что ему легко досталось звание чемпиона 🥇, но при этом впахивал как трактор 😁
богатыри это в россии, а он украинец
@@kthirteenwinrar8766 Не в, а на рабсее
He also has a come issue amongst powerlifters known as Diastasis recti… it’s a separation of your abdominal muscles which more commonly occurs in the pregnant women… It shows a large guide between the abdominal muscles and is especially seen when doing a sit up… it’s why you see a lot of powerlifters with a large belly… it isn’t bc their abdominal muscles aren’t strong it’s bc their abdomen has separated due to the heavy weights they lift…
Great video. Makes me really dislike Alexiev though. That picture of him squatting is one of my favorite pictures of all time.
Superb athlete! I'm not sure though if he's greater than Alexeyev. Alexeyev holds the clean and press record to this very day (althought yeah, it was removed from WL). It is unfortunate, that they've had bad relationship.
Olympic style weightlifting is amazing. The athlete moves the weight from the ground to over their head. No real supportive gear is used either. This is much more legitimate and impressive than a bench press lift where the lifter has a shirt on that is specifically designed to help them lift the weight.
Except that Julius Maddox benched 782 WITHOUT the shirt. Educate yourself
@@johnbackos5192 Your comment is uneducated. I know about the raw bench press of Maddox which is extremely impressive. My statement was targeted at how a bench press shirt can add a ridiculous amount of weight to a lifter's max. I know from personal experience.
Brillant made documentary. Those where the days
“Now a strong, light, muscular 22 year old” - couldn’t help but let out a WTF at that point. The man’s 22 going on 45 especially with that stellar moustache. Also Inb4 “steroids age you” yes I am aware
Yeah, 22 years old like a 50's man
honestly it's a bunch of factors (with steroids being the n1) People used to look older. There are recordings of high school students from the 70s and 80s, you can clearly see the majority of them looking far older than their apparent age (teenagers). Pisarenko was also born in the Soviet Union. It was a tough life, in every aspect and meaning of that word. Harsh upbringing ages you as well
The Grand Regent Thrag's real beginnings
Incredible power
JEEZUS SEB! Too good
Good video
true giga chad
His clean is incredible! So fast! Re lost Olympic championships - Russian athletes are going through the same 5hit today
Terrible to punish an athlete because where they were born due to politics. As a Brit why weren't US and UK athletes banned after the illegal invadion of Iraq
Russian athletes deserve all the $£!t and some more
I'd love to read a book of his workout routines.